Technical Field
This invention relates to electrical connectors for circuit boards and electrical connector assemblies for circuit boards.
Background Art
There have been proposed electrical connectors for circuit boards (hereinafter referred to as “connectors”) of the type that permits so-called “floating”, i.e., terminal flexibility in a direction parallel to a mounting face of a circuit board, onto which said connectors are to be mounted. For example, such a connector has been disclosed in Patent Document 1.
In the case of the connector of Patent Document 1, a single connection element is formed by providing connecting portions at one end in the longitudinal direction of terminals extending in a direction perpendicular to a mounting face, and contact portions at the other end thereof, and retaining the terminals in place between the connecting portions and the contact portions using a stationary retainer at a location adjacent to the connecting portions and, in addition, a movable retainer at a location that is closer to the contact portions than to said stationary retainer, whereupon a connector is obtained by enclosing multiple connection elements in a housing. Both the stationary retainer and the movable retainer are made of an electrically insulating material. The sections of the terminals between the stationary retainer and the movable retainer form flexible portions that are more readily deflectable than other sections. In such a connection element, if the contact portions formed at the distal ends of the sections protruding from the movable retainer in the direction of a counterpart connector are brought in contact with counterpart terminals provided in the counterpart connector and are subject to lateral contact pressure perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the above-mentioned terminals, flexural deformation occurs in the above-mentioned flexible portions, thereby enabling floating and making it possible to handle displacement of the counterpart connector from its regular position in the above-mentioned lateral direction.